


Awesome

by TwoMenAndAGuava



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 13:07:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14770197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoMenAndAGuava/pseuds/TwoMenAndAGuava
Summary: They're offworld on a mission when Teyla realizes she's been in a family unit for the past six months. Now, with Ronon's help, she just has to break it to John and Rodney that they're all dating.





	Awesome

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gala_apples](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gala_apples/gifts).



It has been far too long since Teyla has been with her own people - _just_ her own people and not with her team. She realizes this after she has to correct the leaders of three different cultural groups on the same planet that the team is not a family unit, but rather friends and colleagues. This is the phrase John uses to describe them, but after the third time she corrects someone, she starts examining their dynamic with a more critical eye.

She watches Ronon wrap an arm around John’s shoulders and pull him in for a side hug, and the way John turns his face toward Ronon. She watches the way John doesn’t flinch when Rodney puts a hand on his arm, the way he had at the beginning and the way he still does when a stranger tries to touch him. She watches Rodney carefully switch his dish with Ronon’s when the paste of… something is unpalatable to Ronon.

And she sees herself interact with her team, thinking about the way she has learned to read John’s closed-off body language, the way Ronon always knows when she needs space, the way Rodney chatters endlessly about things to get her to stop worrying so much. Kanaan doesn’t mind how much time she spends with her team; he knows how much they have gone through together and how they have bonded.

Teyla wonders when being part of a family unit with her team became such an appealing concept. She wants to bring it up with Ronon first, because she knows how John fears intimacy and Rodney would find it difficult to accept. But it is, perhaps, more intimidating a thought than she realized, since every time she tries to bring it up while they’re still on the mission the words get stuck in her throat. 

“Ronon,” she says, before she regrets it, while John is being flirted with and Rodney is trying to win the attention of even just one of the lads or maidens, “do you think we should become a family unit?”

He looks at her, surprised. “We already are, in Satedan custom,” he tells her. “I was surprised when you said we weren’t.”

“Among my people there must be a formal verbal commitment amongst all members to form a family unit,” Teyla says. “So I assumed we were not, since we have not discussed it as a team.”

Ronon shrugs. “On Sateda, as soon as you live together, you’re a family. Kanaan isn’t part of our unity because he doesn’t live with us, but me and you and Sheppard and McKay are all - whatsit - dating.”

Teyla glances over at their other two teammates. “How do we tell John and Rodney?”

He snorts. “I thought I’d leave that to you,” and the smile that crinkles the corners of his eyes makes her want to smile back.

Instead, she takes his hand. “Come with me,” she says, half-request, half-order.

Ronon squeezes her hand, and hurries after her. “Sheppard’s not going to be happy,” he warns.

“I know,” Teyla says. “Neither is Rodney.”

-

They actually don’t have the conversation until they’re back in their shared quarters. They’d moved in together near the end of Teyla’s pregnancy, mostly to stop Rodney anxiously checking on her every hour on the hour. This way, John had explained, it would be less stressful for everyone involved.

After Torren was born, the prospect of moving back to their original quarters was simply never brought up. Teyla wouldn’t have asked them to stay, but she certainly wasn’t going to turn down their assistance with Torren’s care.

Looking back, that’s probably when she should have realized they weren’t “friends and colleagues” anymore, but rather a family unit. Ronon, John, and Rodney were all involved just as much as Kanaan those first few weeks, despite Rodney’s protests that he wasn’t good with kids, despite John’s wide-eyed handling of Torren as if he was made of glass. Ronon hadn’t complained, had in fact welcomed taking care of Torren, and she supposes that’s because he was the only one who faced the fact that they were a family unit.

She decides to bring up the family unit at dinner after the mission, but conversation drifts that way regardless. 

“I just don’t understand why they thought we were polyamorous,” Rodney says. “Sometimes I don’t even _like_ you.”

“We live together,” John points out.

Teyla shoots Ronon a pointed glance. He sighs, then says, “On Sateda, you had unity when you moved in with someone. Or multiple someones,” he adds, looking around the table. “Marriage,” he clarifies, when Rodney looks at him blankly.

John drops his fork. “We’re Satedan-married?”

“Yup,” Ronon confirms.

Teyla wants to smile, but she’s worried that John is actually going to faint. “John,” she says, “are you alright?”

“Fine,” he says, but it comes out more strangled than anything else. 

“I - I can’t believe - and you didn’t _tell us?_ ” Rodney asks Ronon incredulously.

Ronon shrugs. “I thought you knew.”

“ _No!_ ” Rodney’s voice nearly squeaks. “I’m not ready to be married! I didn’t even know we were dating!”

“I just found out this morning,” Teyla says, hoping vainly that this will calm Rodney down.

John blinks slowly at them all. “Are you sure, Ronon? Because if this is a joke -”

“Not a joke,” Ronon says sharply. “We’re a family according to Satedan custom. And I’d like to be a family according to your custom too. If you want.”

There is a long silence while everyone processes what Ronon just asked for.

Teyla reaches out to grab his hand. “I would like that very much, Ronon.”

Rodney shrugs. “I suppose. If we’re already Satedan-married, we might as well get Earth-married too.”

John is gripping the table as if letting go would kill him. “I guess? I, uh, might need some time to process this, but I think that should be fine with me.”

Ronon’s face splits into a huge grin, and he claps John on the shoulder. “Awesome.”

“Awesome,” Teyla agrees.


End file.
